The Crucible of a Magi
Hermione discovers the diary of Rowena Ravenclaw, which leads her to find the oldest game ever played at Hogwarts, and the most dangerous. Loosely based off Jumanji. H/Hr pairing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.. Just a bag of Bertie Botts Beans.. and the only fun flavor I have left is the bogey one.. I'm too afraid to try it. Especially after what happened with the anchovy one.. Please forgive me!
Rating: R, but that might change later, though I doubt it. I'm not quite sure how bad or dark or whatever this fic is going to be, but we'll just say R to be safe.
Spoilers: All 4 books.
Chapter 2: On the Trail of a Tepid Tale
After being so rudely evicted from the Astronomy Tower by Professor Sinistra, Hermione quickly found her way to the gargoyle statue that marked the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office. Professor Sinistra had made it quite clear that Dumbledore was waiting for her and so she made haste, as it was almost curfew. It wouldn't do for a prefect to be caught out after hours.
It wasn't until she reached the statue that she realized that she had absolutely no idea what the password was. She wasn't about to walk back up the stairs again to ask the Professor, but she had no idea what the password might have been. What was the last password? Maybe that would help.
"Lemon drop!.." The statue didn't budge an inch. " Cockroach cluster! Licorice wand? Cauldron cake, chocolate frog" She began to ramble on faster, "Bertie Botts beans, Drooble's best blowing gum. Not any of those?" She was running about of options, but she thought a bit more. "Alright, muggle candy then. Dumbledore has a thing for muggle candy right? Lets see, tootsie rolls, payday, pop rocks? Junior mints, skittles.. tic tac.." The gargoyle swung to the side, granting Hermione access to the small doorway behind it. She was dumbfounded with her jaw half hanging open and couldn't help but mutter to herself before she entered. "Tic tac? Of course Dumbledore's passwords would be Tic tac. How typically eccentric of him. I love how they make sure us prefects know everything we need to know."
She took a few seconds to collect herself before she hurried up the narrow staircase. It felt as if she was being led into some elaborate trap. The day had gone by so quickly and as much as she wanted to find out everything there was on Lady Rowena, her women's intuition was warning her that there was more to this mystery than a few missing books from the library. What had happened with Lady Rowena? It was possible that she was just a recluse that wanted no part in the history books, but she was the founder of one of the best witchcraft and wizardry schools in the world. There was more information on Salzar Slytherin for Merlin's sake! Though Hermione suspected it was because of his leading role in the morbid history of muggle racism.
There was no time to finish her train of thought on the subject as she reached the summit of the staircase. The small worn door creaked open before a request to enter could be made and Dumbledore stood behind it with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and an inviting smile.
"How nice of you to visit Miss Granger. I was just thinking of you."
Hermione didn't miss a beat. After six long years at Hogwarts, it took a lot to startle a person, especially if they happened to be Harry Potter's friend. She stepped into his office, accepting the hot chocolate from his hands and sitting down gratefully in a plush chair beside the small fireplace. The heat soaked quickly into her bones and she felt a great deal better, finally able to unwind
They chatted a bit, discussing the weather, class work, even a bit of quidditch. Talking about quidditch with Dumbledore didn't seem to bother her nearly as much as it did with Harry and Ron. Eventually, the pleasantries passed and soon enough they reached the actual subject that Hermione was itching to talk about.
"Lady Rowena Ravenclaw" He began slowly, "Us students and staff owe quite a bit to her as she gave so much of herself to the creation of this school. You will find that the lack of information on her is due to the fact that a few years after Salzar left Hogwarts, Rowena did as well. It is thought that their reasons for leaving, however, were very different. Salzar left the school because the others did not share his views on muggles. This was when he started his war against muggle born witches and wizards."
"Many suspect that Lady Rowena left the sanctuary of the school to go into hiding. Her reasons for going into seclusion were narrowed down to the fact that she supported the education of muggle born witches. I, however, disagree. Godric and Helga supported this as well and despite the usual animosities between Godric and Salzar, they were not actively perused like their colleague. She may have had some object or done something to Salzar. It wouldn't have been a petty thing either. For some reason or other, she felt the need to hide and even after the war, the few followers of his that were left continued to search until it was finally forgotten. Rowena was never seen again."
The tale that Dumbledore wove was so shocking to Hermione that it took her several minutes just to digest and accept the story. Salzar, the founder of the House of Slytherin had tried to hunt down Rowena, the founder of the House of Ravenclaw, during a war to eradicate muggles from the wizarding community. The whole story was just so bizarre, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The Slytherins had to have been riled up into the pompous bigots that they were today and what better leader to have than the Slytherin of all Slytherins. Plus, It seemed that he would have been the perfect great great great granddaddy to You-know-who.
The thing that confused her was Salzar's connection with Rowena. What did she do or what did she have that made her such a big part of the war? "I wish I could truly explain the extent of this war. Miss Granger, are you familiar with the Holocaust?"
Hermione face paled and she looked to Dumbledore with wide eyes..
"Well not quite to that extent." He added quickly, brining a bit of color back to Hermione's face. "Salzar knew exactly how much he could aggravate the hornet's nest before the bees would attack. Wizards know quite well how protective muggles can be. All his activities in the muggle world were kept secret, but that's not to say he wasn't planning a war against them. He was just biding his time and building up his forces. Luckily the Wizard's Council stopped him before he got that far."
"I had no idea. How is it that we haven't learned about this in history of magic? It seems like a much more important topic than the goblin rebellion of 1912." She couldn't help but inform him with a sarcastic smile.
"These subjects are very controversial. This one and when Lord Voldemort came to power are discussions saved for seventh years only and still only if they wish to participate. Students in this school have some very involved family histories in both eras. For instance, I doubt if Mr. Longbottom would be able to participate in the discussion on how Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters were partial to the cruciatus curse to gather their information. Also, muggle students become very emotional when they hear just how their ancestors were treated during Salzar's war."
The mood in the room became very somber. Hermione could just imagine what the Slytherin's would do to a few 'mudbloods' if they ever caught them alone. She couldn't stand it when they sneered at her and called her names. It made her so horribly angry, but she always tried to act unruffled and strived to be above their little games. Not that it wasn't hard, especially when Malfoy picked on her. He was always the most creative with his verbal harassment, but it always made her feel better that she was the one with the top marks in all her classes and Malfoy had to settle for being second. She knew that was the one thing that really irked him and so she threw her whole self into her schoolwork. She wasn't about to let some snobbish pureblood beat her just so they could give her grief about it.
"More hot chocolate?" Dumbledore asked, abruptly changing the subject from where it had been heading.
Hermione nodded and from the bottom of her mug a small fountain of chocolate spilled forth, filling the cup with the steaming brew. Then the room to the silent state it had been in before, but it wasn't an awkward silence, but rather, a comfortable one. It gave her some time to think about the things she had just learned and to just take a step back to breathe. It would have made a wonderful paper, but she needed more, she needed details.
"Is there any way for me to find out more about this Professor? I would love to write my essay on Lady Rowena, but I won't have enough to write the whole thing and as you know, Professor Binns much prefers absolute fact to myths and theories."
He was quiet for a moment, and Hermione feared that he had no more left to say, but then he spoke in his old, weathered and wise voice with his eyes sparkling almost mischievously.
"I believe you may find something in the restricted section of the library" The old man's eyes were lit up like a young man's and if Hermione hadn't been so tired, she would have caught on right away.
"Lady Rowena made quite a few discoveries in the astrology field that we tend to keep hidden from the more immature students. Yes, I believe I would look there." And then he said no more. He hobbled about his small office, muttering 'nox' to the various candles about the room and shuffling the papers strewn about his desk into a small stack. It was if he had utterly forgotten that Hermione had ever existed.
Hermione didn't understand. Dumbledore knew that she had no access to the restricted section. What game was he playing at?
"But Professor Dumbl-" Her protest was cut off by a smooth interjection from Dumbledore.
"I do believe its almost past curfew Miss Granger. You'd best get back to your dormitory. Wouldn't want to upset Filch. He'll be asking to hang you by your thumbs no doubt. I'm sure you have plenty to think about."
She gathered her things slowly as her mind worked on solving this puzzle. It was obvious he wasn't going to give her the permission she needed. She would just have to go elsewhere.
"Yes, yes I do. Good night Professor."
****
The sight of the Fat Lady's portrait was a welcome one to Hermione. She was afraid that she wouldn't make it back in time, but just as she turned down the hall, she could hear the bells ringing, signaling curfew. A sigh of relief escaped her and she made her way to the Fat Lady only to discover her missing.
She couldn't believe it! She had practically ran from Dumbledore's office to make it back in time and she had the nerve to be gone?
"Immature rude paintings! I can't believe this.. now Filch will catch me and I'll get detention! He'll hang me by my thumbs and I won't be able to do my homework anymore because I won't be able to hold the quill. Then my marks will drop.. and I'll get kicked out of Hogwarts for being the worst witch they've ever seen.." She thought to herself, in a slight state of panic and she couldn't stop a few tears from welling up in her eyes. It'd just been such a long day and all she wanted to do was sleep, but she still had all her neglected homework to do. If she couldn't even get into the tower, then why shouldn't she panic a bit? It was in her nature, after all.
With a defeated huff, Hermione let her bag slide from her shoulder and thud to the floor. She had no choice but to wait. If she started knocking on the painting, Mrs. Norris or Filch were liable to hear and come investigating. Hermione soon followed the bag to the floor and she hugged her knees to her chest, making herself as comfortable as she could. There was no telling how long it would take for the Fat Lady to return. One time Neville had spent the entire night outside because the Fat Lady had been partying at Sir Cadogan's midnight mural bash that he hosted every spring.
Slowly, her eyelids drooped closed and she rested her head atop her knees. It looked like it would be a long miserable night. She hoped that the Fat Lady wouldn't be gone too long.
****
[ Dream Sequence ]
The corridor was dark, only illuminated by the flickering of some fire, hidden to her eye. She glanced behind her, to the sides and once more before her, where a sleek black kneazle stood in the previously empty space. It's lion-like tail snapped from side to side hypnotically and it's piercing azure eyes glowed dimly. The kneazle turned, taking a few steps away then glanced over its shoulder as if beckoning her to follow. She did.
It was a difficult journey; half stumbling through the darkness, but always following the piercing gaze of the cat-like creature as it paused at the corners, waiting for her to catch up. She was led through a web-like maze of hallways and staircases that seemed to go down forever and it was as if they were in the bowels of the earth itself.
Each step, the air around her was warmer then that of the last. Together they moved at a neck-breaking pace, just barely safe enough to avoid certain death on the steep staircases. There was no noise, but her own gasping breath, and the clicking of her shoes. The kneazle made no noise; it was cut from the same cloth as the darkness that surrounded them.
The heat was almost too much to bear. Her thick billowy robes were the first to go and soon after, her wool sweater and tie followed. She would have discarded more, but the stops seemed to irritate her guide, and so she struggled to ignore the discomfort.
The darkness began to fade away, slowly at first, but then it was quickly dissolving. It melted down the sides of the hall, crumbled beneath her feet and it even escaped from the kneazle's fur, leaving it a snowy white. It ran like black paint from the tips of the ears, and gathered at the paws and even further until small paw prints of darkness was all that was left. And soon those were washed away as well.
Then the walls from the never-ending corridors fell away and they were in a large chamber with a tall domed ceiling that stretched up forever. The floor was not made of marble, but soft white sand that yielded beneath her steps. It was smooth, undisturbed, and she could almost believe that she was the first to ever step in this sacred place.
Her eyes fell to the center of the chamber as a pedestal rose from the sand. The floor parted for it, like the red sea and it lurched upward into the light. For a moment it was still, but then the pedestal began to quake and the top half exploded, sending the biggest pieces crashing to the sides. When the stirred up whirl of sand had settled, a flickering orb of fire rested in the place of the broken pedestal.
She stood in awe, too stunned to take another step forward until she heard the low purr of the kneazle beside her. It nudged her hand with its nose and she stepped onward, finding her way to the fire.
It was unlike anything she had ever seen. At moment it was crimson, then the next it was a deep sapphire blue and sometimes it was a vibrant collage of colors, dancing to it's own silent song. It was captivating and primordial and she longed to touch it. However, even as she reached her hand out to brush her fingertips against it's warmth and dangerous hiss escaped her companion.
It was only a small distraction, but she tore her eyes away to gaze at her guide. Suddenly, a small voice, almost a whisper echoed in her head.
"You've seen it now, I tried to keep you away, but it does as it pleases."
She glanced around looking for the owner of the voice, but her eyes only found the shimmering blue of the Kneazle's eyes.
"Yes, don't be a fool... Of course it's me. Do you see anyone else? Listen carefully. I didn't want to do this, but as I said before, the flame rarely listens to me." The kneazle had finally sat, eyeing Hermione carefully. It was studying her, determining her worth perhaps. She wasn't sure, but then the voice continued.
"Harry, as brave as he is, cannot defeat Lord Voldemort on his own. He hasn't the power, but with the crucible... and some help from his ancestors, it's possible. You need to find the keys. A simple puzzle really. It's been found once already, I have no doubt in your abilities to find it as well. As I was saying, find the keys and train with the crucible. You will succeed. You have to."
It was all so confusing.
"But I don't understand! What is the crucible? What are the keys for? Is Harry.. Is Harry in danger again?"
The kneazle's mouth curled up into a impish smile.
"Isn't he always?"
[ End Dream Sequence ]
****
Someone or something stumbling over her body and her bag before sprawling to the floor, jostled Hermione from her light slumber. She could hear everything well, but as she pried her eyelids open, the hall appeared to be empty. Her mind could only come up with one conclusion.
"Harry?" She whispered, crawling along the floor, groping for his prone body. "Harry, are you alright?" Her hand found a shoe and then the edge of the invisibility cloak, which she pulled up and off his body.
A muffled groan escaped him followed by a small chuckle.
"Good thing it was you and not Filch I tripped over. This would have been worth a least a week of detention in the forbidden forest." Harry hissed through his laughter. Hermione laughed as well, stretching out her hand and pulling Harry to his feet.
"What are you doing out here?" She questioned, feeling foolish under Harry's incredulous stare.
"Me? What about you? Ron was about ready to search the hallways for you on his broomstick. When Ginny had to drug him with a sleeping draft to settle his down, I decided it'd be safer if it were just me. I have a bit more stealth then Ron." He smirked.
Hermione's face flushed and she looked down, examining her shoes.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to,| I should have just knocked, but I didn't want Filch to come running. I didn't know you were all up waiting for me. The Fat Lady was gone..", The excuses coming out in a constant ramble.
Harry grinned, pulling her up, snuggly to his side and slung an arm around her shoulders.
"Aww, Herm, that's okay. Ron might be upset in the morning, but I think everyone will just be glad you didn't get detention. Won't all the Slytherin's be so upset you managed to dodge Filch again?" Harry emphasized by squeezing her shoulders.
She grinned at the thought and leaned into Harry more as they walked back to the doorway. Being this close to Harry was wonderful and she decided that she'd pick a half sort-of not really, kinda partial hug from Harry over Dumbledore's hot chocolate any day.
It was the closest they'd been since she kissed his cheek back in fourth year at King's cross. She couldn't deny to herself that she felt something for the boy-who-lived. She didn't want to feel silly every time she thought of him... she'd tried to ignore it for years, but being this close to him was like heaven. It was a windy autumn day, curled up in a chair with Crookshanks and reading Hogwarts, a History again and again until she fell asleep. It was bliss. It was almost too perfect, and she knew better than to trust anything perfect.
Them being together would never work out. It would hurt to many people, mainly two goofy red heads that she cared about quite a bit. For now, however, all that mattered was that he was her best friend and he had come to her rescue.
****
Author's Notes: Mother of Merlin! Who would've thought I'd be writing semi- fluff? It's crazy, I tell ya.. not to mention that this chapter is 2 pages longer then I planned! I'm in awe of myself. Er.. hehe.. j/k j/k. Well, the H/Hr fluff wasn't supposed to be in this chapter, but I was afraid of rioting and whatnot so I put a bit in. Hope you appreciate it! Big big thanks to all those who reviewed.. all 6 of you.. -_-;; Ahh, oh well. If you write it, they will review. I hope all the Rowena stuff wasn't too confusing. And the dream? Well it's okay if that was confusing because it was supposed to be. Things will get going more in the next few chapters.. hopefully. Two shouts out to my beta-reader, Squidditch. Yes, she changed her pen name.. -_-;;
Lady PC
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Hermione discovers the diary of Rowena Ravenclaw, which leads her to find the oldest game ever played at Hogwarts, and the most dangerous. Loosely based off Jumanji. H/Hr pairing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.. Just a bag of Bertie Botts Beans.. and the only fun flavor I have left is the bogey one.. I'm too afraid to try it. Especially after what happened with the anchovy one.. Please forgive me!
Rating: R, but that might change later, though I doubt it. I'm not quite sure how bad or dark or whatever this fic is going to be, but we'll just say R to be safe.
Spoilers: All 4 books.
Chapter 2: On the Trail of a Tepid Tale
After being so rudely evicted from the Astronomy Tower by Professor Sinistra, Hermione quickly found her way to the gargoyle statue that marked the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office. Professor Sinistra had made it quite clear that Dumbledore was waiting for her and so she made haste, as it was almost curfew. It wouldn't do for a prefect to be caught out after hours.
It wasn't until she reached the statue that she realized that she had absolutely no idea what the password was. She wasn't about to walk back up the stairs again to ask the Professor, but she had no idea what the password might have been. What was the last password? Maybe that would help.
"Lemon drop!.." The statue didn't budge an inch. " Cockroach cluster! Licorice wand? Cauldron cake, chocolate frog" She began to ramble on faster, "Bertie Botts beans, Drooble's best blowing gum. Not any of those?" She was running about of options, but she thought a bit more. "Alright, muggle candy then. Dumbledore has a thing for muggle candy right? Lets see, tootsie rolls, payday, pop rocks? Junior mints, skittles.. tic tac.." The gargoyle swung to the side, granting Hermione access to the small doorway behind it. She was dumbfounded with her jaw half hanging open and couldn't help but mutter to herself before she entered. "Tic tac? Of course Dumbledore's passwords would be Tic tac. How typically eccentric of him. I love how they make sure us prefects know everything we need to know."
She took a few seconds to collect herself before she hurried up the narrow staircase. It felt as if she was being led into some elaborate trap. The day had gone by so quickly and as much as she wanted to find out everything there was on Lady Rowena, her women's intuition was warning her that there was more to this mystery than a few missing books from the library. What had happened with Lady Rowena? It was possible that she was just a recluse that wanted no part in the history books, but she was the founder of one of the best witchcraft and wizardry schools in the world. There was more information on Salzar Slytherin for Merlin's sake! Though Hermione suspected it was because of his leading role in the morbid history of muggle racism.
There was no time to finish her train of thought on the subject as she reached the summit of the staircase. The small worn door creaked open before a request to enter could be made and Dumbledore stood behind it with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and an inviting smile.
"How nice of you to visit Miss Granger. I was just thinking of you."
Hermione didn't miss a beat. After six long years at Hogwarts, it took a lot to startle a person, especially if they happened to be Harry Potter's friend. She stepped into his office, accepting the hot chocolate from his hands and sitting down gratefully in a plush chair beside the small fireplace. The heat soaked quickly into her bones and she felt a great deal better, finally able to unwind
They chatted a bit, discussing the weather, class work, even a bit of quidditch. Talking about quidditch with Dumbledore didn't seem to bother her nearly as much as it did with Harry and Ron. Eventually, the pleasantries passed and soon enough they reached the actual subject that Hermione was itching to talk about.
"Lady Rowena Ravenclaw" He began slowly, "Us students and staff owe quite a bit to her as she gave so much of herself to the creation of this school. You will find that the lack of information on her is due to the fact that a few years after Salzar left Hogwarts, Rowena did as well. It is thought that their reasons for leaving, however, were very different. Salzar left the school because the others did not share his views on muggles. This was when he started his war against muggle born witches and wizards."
"Many suspect that Lady Rowena left the sanctuary of the school to go into hiding. Her reasons for going into seclusion were narrowed down to the fact that she supported the education of muggle born witches. I, however, disagree. Godric and Helga supported this as well and despite the usual animosities between Godric and Salzar, they were not actively perused like their colleague. She may have had some object or done something to Salzar. It wouldn't have been a petty thing either. For some reason or other, she felt the need to hide and even after the war, the few followers of his that were left continued to search until it was finally forgotten. Rowena was never seen again."
The tale that Dumbledore wove was so shocking to Hermione that it took her several minutes just to digest and accept the story. Salzar, the founder of the House of Slytherin had tried to hunt down Rowena, the founder of the House of Ravenclaw, during a war to eradicate muggles from the wizarding community. The whole story was just so bizarre, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The Slytherins had to have been riled up into the pompous bigots that they were today and what better leader to have than the Slytherin of all Slytherins. Plus, It seemed that he would have been the perfect great great great granddaddy to You-know-who.
The thing that confused her was Salzar's connection with Rowena. What did she do or what did she have that made her such a big part of the war? "I wish I could truly explain the extent of this war. Miss Granger, are you familiar with the Holocaust?"
Hermione face paled and she looked to Dumbledore with wide eyes..
"Well not quite to that extent." He added quickly, brining a bit of color back to Hermione's face. "Salzar knew exactly how much he could aggravate the hornet's nest before the bees would attack. Wizards know quite well how protective muggles can be. All his activities in the muggle world were kept secret, but that's not to say he wasn't planning a war against them. He was just biding his time and building up his forces. Luckily the Wizard's Council stopped him before he got that far."
"I had no idea. How is it that we haven't learned about this in history of magic? It seems like a much more important topic than the goblin rebellion of 1912." She couldn't help but inform him with a sarcastic smile.
"These subjects are very controversial. This one and when Lord Voldemort came to power are discussions saved for seventh years only and still only if they wish to participate. Students in this school have some very involved family histories in both eras. For instance, I doubt if Mr. Longbottom would be able to participate in the discussion on how Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters were partial to the cruciatus curse to gather their information. Also, muggle students become very emotional when they hear just how their ancestors were treated during Salzar's war."
The mood in the room became very somber. Hermione could just imagine what the Slytherin's would do to a few 'mudbloods' if they ever caught them alone. She couldn't stand it when they sneered at her and called her names. It made her so horribly angry, but she always tried to act unruffled and strived to be above their little games. Not that it wasn't hard, especially when Malfoy picked on her. He was always the most creative with his verbal harassment, but it always made her feel better that she was the one with the top marks in all her classes and Malfoy had to settle for being second. She knew that was the one thing that really irked him and so she threw her whole self into her schoolwork. She wasn't about to let some snobbish pureblood beat her just so they could give her grief about it.
"More hot chocolate?" Dumbledore asked, abruptly changing the subject from where it had been heading.
Hermione nodded and from the bottom of her mug a small fountain of chocolate spilled forth, filling the cup with the steaming brew. Then the room to the silent state it had been in before, but it wasn't an awkward silence, but rather, a comfortable one. It gave her some time to think about the things she had just learned and to just take a step back to breathe. It would have made a wonderful paper, but she needed more, she needed details.
"Is there any way for me to find out more about this Professor? I would love to write my essay on Lady Rowena, but I won't have enough to write the whole thing and as you know, Professor Binns much prefers absolute fact to myths and theories."
He was quiet for a moment, and Hermione feared that he had no more left to say, but then he spoke in his old, weathered and wise voice with his eyes sparkling almost mischievously.
"I believe you may find something in the restricted section of the library" The old man's eyes were lit up like a young man's and if Hermione hadn't been so tired, she would have caught on right away.
"Lady Rowena made quite a few discoveries in the astrology field that we tend to keep hidden from the more immature students. Yes, I believe I would look there." And then he said no more. He hobbled about his small office, muttering 'nox' to the various candles about the room and shuffling the papers strewn about his desk into a small stack. It was if he had utterly forgotten that Hermione had ever existed.
Hermione didn't understand. Dumbledore knew that she had no access to the restricted section. What game was he playing at?
"But Professor Dumbl-" Her protest was cut off by a smooth interjection from Dumbledore.
"I do believe its almost past curfew Miss Granger. You'd best get back to your dormitory. Wouldn't want to upset Filch. He'll be asking to hang you by your thumbs no doubt. I'm sure you have plenty to think about."
She gathered her things slowly as her mind worked on solving this puzzle. It was obvious he wasn't going to give her the permission she needed. She would just have to go elsewhere.
"Yes, yes I do. Good night Professor."
****
The sight of the Fat Lady's portrait was a welcome one to Hermione. She was afraid that she wouldn't make it back in time, but just as she turned down the hall, she could hear the bells ringing, signaling curfew. A sigh of relief escaped her and she made her way to the Fat Lady only to discover her missing.
She couldn't believe it! She had practically ran from Dumbledore's office to make it back in time and she had the nerve to be gone?
"Immature rude paintings! I can't believe this.. now Filch will catch me and I'll get detention! He'll hang me by my thumbs and I won't be able to do my homework anymore because I won't be able to hold the quill. Then my marks will drop.. and I'll get kicked out of Hogwarts for being the worst witch they've ever seen.." She thought to herself, in a slight state of panic and she couldn't stop a few tears from welling up in her eyes. It'd just been such a long day and all she wanted to do was sleep, but she still had all her neglected homework to do. If she couldn't even get into the tower, then why shouldn't she panic a bit? It was in her nature, after all.
With a defeated huff, Hermione let her bag slide from her shoulder and thud to the floor. She had no choice but to wait. If she started knocking on the painting, Mrs. Norris or Filch were liable to hear and come investigating. Hermione soon followed the bag to the floor and she hugged her knees to her chest, making herself as comfortable as she could. There was no telling how long it would take for the Fat Lady to return. One time Neville had spent the entire night outside because the Fat Lady had been partying at Sir Cadogan's midnight mural bash that he hosted every spring.
Slowly, her eyelids drooped closed and she rested her head atop her knees. It looked like it would be a long miserable night. She hoped that the Fat Lady wouldn't be gone too long.
****
[ Dream Sequence ]
The corridor was dark, only illuminated by the flickering of some fire, hidden to her eye. She glanced behind her, to the sides and once more before her, where a sleek black kneazle stood in the previously empty space. It's lion-like tail snapped from side to side hypnotically and it's piercing azure eyes glowed dimly. The kneazle turned, taking a few steps away then glanced over its shoulder as if beckoning her to follow. She did.
It was a difficult journey; half stumbling through the darkness, but always following the piercing gaze of the cat-like creature as it paused at the corners, waiting for her to catch up. She was led through a web-like maze of hallways and staircases that seemed to go down forever and it was as if they were in the bowels of the earth itself.
Each step, the air around her was warmer then that of the last. Together they moved at a neck-breaking pace, just barely safe enough to avoid certain death on the steep staircases. There was no noise, but her own gasping breath, and the clicking of her shoes. The kneazle made no noise; it was cut from the same cloth as the darkness that surrounded them.
The heat was almost too much to bear. Her thick billowy robes were the first to go and soon after, her wool sweater and tie followed. She would have discarded more, but the stops seemed to irritate her guide, and so she struggled to ignore the discomfort.
The darkness began to fade away, slowly at first, but then it was quickly dissolving. It melted down the sides of the hall, crumbled beneath her feet and it even escaped from the kneazle's fur, leaving it a snowy white. It ran like black paint from the tips of the ears, and gathered at the paws and even further until small paw prints of darkness was all that was left. And soon those were washed away as well.
Then the walls from the never-ending corridors fell away and they were in a large chamber with a tall domed ceiling that stretched up forever. The floor was not made of marble, but soft white sand that yielded beneath her steps. It was smooth, undisturbed, and she could almost believe that she was the first to ever step in this sacred place.
Her eyes fell to the center of the chamber as a pedestal rose from the sand. The floor parted for it, like the red sea and it lurched upward into the light. For a moment it was still, but then the pedestal began to quake and the top half exploded, sending the biggest pieces crashing to the sides. When the stirred up whirl of sand had settled, a flickering orb of fire rested in the place of the broken pedestal.
She stood in awe, too stunned to take another step forward until she heard the low purr of the kneazle beside her. It nudged her hand with its nose and she stepped onward, finding her way to the fire.
It was unlike anything she had ever seen. At moment it was crimson, then the next it was a deep sapphire blue and sometimes it was a vibrant collage of colors, dancing to it's own silent song. It was captivating and primordial and she longed to touch it. However, even as she reached her hand out to brush her fingertips against it's warmth and dangerous hiss escaped her companion.
It was only a small distraction, but she tore her eyes away to gaze at her guide. Suddenly, a small voice, almost a whisper echoed in her head.
"You've seen it now, I tried to keep you away, but it does as it pleases."
She glanced around looking for the owner of the voice, but her eyes only found the shimmering blue of the Kneazle's eyes.
"Yes, don't be a fool... Of course it's me. Do you see anyone else? Listen carefully. I didn't want to do this, but as I said before, the flame rarely listens to me." The kneazle had finally sat, eyeing Hermione carefully. It was studying her, determining her worth perhaps. She wasn't sure, but then the voice continued.
"Harry, as brave as he is, cannot defeat Lord Voldemort on his own. He hasn't the power, but with the crucible... and some help from his ancestors, it's possible. You need to find the keys. A simple puzzle really. It's been found once already, I have no doubt in your abilities to find it as well. As I was saying, find the keys and train with the crucible. You will succeed. You have to."
It was all so confusing.
"But I don't understand! What is the crucible? What are the keys for? Is Harry.. Is Harry in danger again?"
The kneazle's mouth curled up into a impish smile.
"Isn't he always?"
[ End Dream Sequence ]
****
Someone or something stumbling over her body and her bag before sprawling to the floor, jostled Hermione from her light slumber. She could hear everything well, but as she pried her eyelids open, the hall appeared to be empty. Her mind could only come up with one conclusion.
"Harry?" She whispered, crawling along the floor, groping for his prone body. "Harry, are you alright?" Her hand found a shoe and then the edge of the invisibility cloak, which she pulled up and off his body.
A muffled groan escaped him followed by a small chuckle.
"Good thing it was you and not Filch I tripped over. This would have been worth a least a week of detention in the forbidden forest." Harry hissed through his laughter. Hermione laughed as well, stretching out her hand and pulling Harry to his feet.
"What are you doing out here?" She questioned, feeling foolish under Harry's incredulous stare.
"Me? What about you? Ron was about ready to search the hallways for you on his broomstick. When Ginny had to drug him with a sleeping draft to settle his down, I decided it'd be safer if it were just me. I have a bit more stealth then Ron." He smirked.
Hermione's face flushed and she looked down, examining her shoes.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to,| I should have just knocked, but I didn't want Filch to come running. I didn't know you were all up waiting for me. The Fat Lady was gone..", The excuses coming out in a constant ramble.
Harry grinned, pulling her up, snuggly to his side and slung an arm around her shoulders.
"Aww, Herm, that's okay. Ron might be upset in the morning, but I think everyone will just be glad you didn't get detention. Won't all the Slytherin's be so upset you managed to dodge Filch again?" Harry emphasized by squeezing her shoulders.
She grinned at the thought and leaned into Harry more as they walked back to the doorway. Being this close to Harry was wonderful and she decided that she'd pick a half sort-of not really, kinda partial hug from Harry over Dumbledore's hot chocolate any day.
It was the closest they'd been since she kissed his cheek back in fourth year at King's cross. She couldn't deny to herself that she felt something for the boy-who-lived. She didn't want to feel silly every time she thought of him... she'd tried to ignore it for years, but being this close to him was like heaven. It was a windy autumn day, curled up in a chair with Crookshanks and reading Hogwarts, a History again and again until she fell asleep. It was bliss. It was almost too perfect, and she knew better than to trust anything perfect.
Them being together would never work out. It would hurt to many people, mainly two goofy red heads that she cared about quite a bit. For now, however, all that mattered was that he was her best friend and he had come to her rescue.
****
Author's Notes: Mother of Merlin! Who would've thought I'd be writing semi- fluff? It's crazy, I tell ya.. not to mention that this chapter is 2 pages longer then I planned! I'm in awe of myself. Er.. hehe.. j/k j/k. Well, the H/Hr fluff wasn't supposed to be in this chapter, but I was afraid of rioting and whatnot so I put a bit in. Hope you appreciate it! Big big thanks to all those who reviewed.. all 6 of you.. -_-;; Ahh, oh well. If you write it, they will review. I hope all the Rowena stuff wasn't too confusing. And the dream? Well it's okay if that was confusing because it was supposed to be. Things will get going more in the next few chapters.. hopefully. Two shouts out to my beta-reader, Squidditch. Yes, she changed her pen name.. -_-;;
Lady PC
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